To Everyone But You
by Tofyuu
Summary: Law hates his name. He hates it even more when he hears Luffy say it. [More of Nakamaship, but can be taken as pre-relationship LawLu]
1. Chapter 1

"Hey Law, what you do think?"

Trafalgar jerks at the sudden and unfamiliar call of his name in Luffy's chirpy voice, fork perfectly poised near his gaping mouth. The unfortunate piece of fish drops from his fork, making a soft slap on the table that Sanji begins screeching at Trafalgar for.

"Wha-What did y-you-," Law splutters, face growing so white Chopper shoots a concerned look his way.

"I said, what do you think Law." Luffy repeats, tilting his head to one side, blinking cluelessly.

Trafalgar flinches, causing a few curious glances to be thrown his way. His gaze flicks up from the table to Luffy, eyes hard, figure shaking. The silverware trembles in his tight hold, knuckles gleaming white.

"Hey Law? You okay? Chopper, I think something's wrong with La-"

"Don't." Trafalgar suddenly cuts in, his voice louder than any he's used with Luffy before; bar the times he's exasperatedly shouted at Luffy for his sudden hugs or absurd propositions during their strategic meetings. It shocks the rest of the crew into dead silence, and the atmosphere quickly grows tense and stormy.

Varying degrees of threats are sent to Law subtlety for the sudden show of hostility, from Chopper's fearful whimper to Zoro's move of a hand on Wadou, eyeing Law suspiciously.

"Don't call me by -!" Trafalgar chokes, voice straining with effort. His face is pinched and ghastly white, dark eyes boring holes into Luffy's own that stare determinedly back. The fork he's holding taps the wooden table to the rhythm created by his violently shaking form, hand still tightly fisted around it.

"Name." Trafalgar finally spits out, like the word is poison in his mouth, venom forced to swallow. Grimacing, like the word was a dirty rag been stuffed in his mouth for hours he'd finally managed to remove. Like he hates to admit that filthy word could even be related to him in any fashion. His head moves down slowly, breaking eye contact with Luffy as a trembling hand runs down his sweating face, resting over his mouth.

Despite the galley being filled with tension thick enough for even oblivious Luffy to sense, all eyes are trained on Trafalgar glinting with a hint of curiousity. If seeing the doctor react so violently to a name-one some even called him so often or during the occasional slip of tongue-is new, then seeing him stuttering and pale is a moment to be sealed and recorded for history.

"Don't call me by that name Strawhat-ya. Please." Trafalgar eventually continues, voice barely audible, muffled as it is behind his tattooed hand. "Call me anything, anything, but that. Trafal-guy, Torao, Trafalgar, even that stupid ass name, Surgeon of Death, the Marines gave me, but-" His breath catches, voice hitches, and for one crazy, wild moment, everyone thinks Law is going to burst into tears as he finishes his sentence hoarsely.

"That."

Luffy stares at Trafalgar, whose face is still twisted in pain and disgust, for a moment longer, brows scrunched a little and an uncharacteristic, deep-in-thought look on his face. He frowns, looking as though he's mentally debating whether or not he should say something, but even that's debatable, considering how it's a well-known fact that Luffy spews anything he thinks of faster than the thought can complete itself in his mind.

However, Luffy ends up not speaking at all. Instead he sighs and rests his hands in his chin, propping his elbows on the dining table. He seems to have gotten an inkling of understanding, based on the way he now looks at Law, pouting.

"Man, that's too bad. I wanted to be closer to Trafal-guy too, by calling him by his given name." Luffy whines, effectively dousing the flames of tension in the galley.

Trafalgar looks startled at that innocent revelation, head shooting up to look at the sullen Strawhat captain, blinking confusedly. He feels his face heating up; never before had he heard someone tell him something as precious as that.

Zoro simply snorts at that, shaking his head at how easily Luffy has put off the entire matter as something to be prodded at another time-probably when he was alone with Law and his curiousity on the issue had flared up once more-and it's a notion shared by all, considering how everyone begins relaxing once more.

Any lingering tension flees the galley when a loud roar from Franky is heard, who glares Luffy something fierce as he shouts accusations of his vanished steak in Luffy's direction. Turns out that Luffy had been sneakily and steadily picking food off everyone's plates when their attention was being redirected to Trafalgar and not their meals. And as though at Franky's cue, the crew falls into their usual routine of screaming at Luffy for stealing the food, then shielding their plates and throwing random projectiles at their captain as he attempts another round of picking food off their plates.

"It's okay."

The crew stops screaming for a moment to look in the direction of their temporary guest, slightly surprised at the affection they detect leaking into his voice.

"Calling me by a nickname instead of by my given name I mean. That already makes you closer, kind of. I didn't have many when I was young, so it counts as being special. I guess." Trafalger mutters, pulling his hat down, casting a shadow across his burning face.

The Strawhats' faces all split into wide grins as Luffy lets loose his trademark laughter, their chorus of promises to do so music to Trafalgar's red ears.

* * *

><p>AN: im. so sorry for this piece of trash. this is based off my headcanon here( post/98534288051)(because i can't do hyperlinks for some reason?) about Law and his hatred for his name ahah;; i don't really liked how this turned out but w/e


	2. Omake

A/N: added a short little omake for the previous one to explain Law's hatred for his name in a more story-like form. also i wanted to write fluffy nakama lawlu :')

* * *

><p>"I won't call you that anymore." Luffy says softly, from where he sits atop Sunny.<p>

Trafalgar stays silent, but he bends over the railing just a little further, staring just a little more intently than needed at the dark ocean floor.

The night is silent, and they've docked for the night in the middle of nowhere. The Sunny sends small waves across the quiet ocean as it rocks, rippling and breaking the reflection of the full moon into a million little pieces of light.

"…Im sorry." Trafalgar mumbles, feeling inherently guilty that he isn't able to grant someone as close to him as Luffy the privilege of calling him by his, ugh, name.

"S'alright. I wanna know why though." Luffy turns his head, nose scrunched up. "But, if, you reaaaaaally don't want to because it concerns Mingo then okay. But only if you reaaaally reaaally really don't want to. Then it's totally okay and cool." Luffy cheerfully states, but his curiousity is written all over his face, if not already obviously shown by his tone.

Not even Trafalgar can suppress a smile at this familiar behaviour, and he laughs softly, still looking away into the distance.

"I just don't feel like hearing it anymore. Not after hearing them, _him_, saying it so many times in so many ways and I just-" Trafalgar stops, unable to suppress the shudder that shakes his lithe form head to toe.

His name was already commonly associated before _him_ with bad luck and promises of an awful future-no one wants an extra mouth to feed, especially not a fatally-ill one-, only heard in jeers and shouts, never in a compliment or praise.

And everything only got worse when he decided to join the Donquixote Pirates.

Images of a tall leering figure, too big, too pink and fluffy for his comfort comes to mind at the thought of that single word. The falsely saccharine way the older pirate crooned his name after Cora-san's death was so sickening, so unbearable-like a mockery of the voice Cora-san never had-that Trafalgar still feels his skin crawl whenever someone utters the same single syllable, still hears the echo of Doflamingo's voice resounding in his head, repeating the cursed name over and over in his head until it throbbed.

"But-" Luffy starts, remembering all the people and times his very own crew called Trafalgar as _that,_ without so much as a flinch from the surgeon.

"Just at least not from the people I care for." Trafalgar interjects gently, before Luffy can interrupt. He knows the rubberman and all his ridiculous ways like the back of his hand now, already anticipating his questions before Luffy even thinks of them.

"Oh."

Then without warning, Luffy swings down from the figurine head and launches himself towards Trafalgar, who only reacts just in time to spin around to face Luffy and get the full impact of the hug from the front.

Trafalgar catches Luffy with a grunt, staggering back a step at the sheer weight and force that is Luffy. Luffy's arms wind itself around his torso, almost instinctively, burying his face deep into Trafalgar's soft woollen pullover.

"Strawhat-ya?" Trafalgar asks tentatively, arms hanging by his side uselessly.

"S'sad, that's all. To hate a name you were given. You looked like you were gonna cry too. And I know you like hugs when you're sad and weepy." Luffy snuggles his face against Trafalgar's middle, before sending a bright beam upwards.

"…Oh." Trafalgar feels his eyes burning and a hard lump forming in his throat. The tears fall freely down his face and drips on top of Luffy's grinning face, that he hurriedly tries to rub away.

But his vision is getting too blurry, making his already poor aim worse, so he settles with bending down and burying his face into Luffy's shoulder instead, letting his own ocean form on Luffy's crimson jacket. His own arms begin curling around Luffy's form, and Luffy breathes out a happy giggle. Luffy begins stroking Trafalger's hair to each hiccup or sob, patting his back comfortingly like a mother would to a child after a particularly bad nightmare. Some time along, Luffy also begins humming a seemingly senseless tune, one that Trafalger registers as a lullaby from the North, and it just makes him cry harder, because how the hell did Luffy know it, and how does he know how to mend the broken heart that Trafalger's tried so hard to heal by himself but couldn't so effortlessly, dammit.

How and when did he manage to tuck himself so neatly, so dangerously close to Trafalger's heart? And why was Trafalgar letting him do it like an idiot, he doesn't know, but for now, he's content with Luffy's warmth, glad for Luffy's endless abyss of empathy, understanding and acceptance. He csn't seem to stop mumbling incoherent thanks for every single thing Luffy has done for him, unconsciously or not; because he doesn't deserve any of it, yet it's all Luffy will give and god knows Monkey D. Luffy won't have it any other way but for one to accept his kindness as unconditionally as he gives it.

"Any time Trafal-guy."


End file.
